Staff at housebuilder Lovell Homes are undertaking a series of fundraising challenges to raise money for its charity partner Open Door, which supports people in Merseyside impacted by mental health issues.

Already one of its assistant site managers James Parr has raised £550 by climbing Mount Snowdon in Wales.

Also being planned to raise money for the charity is a sky dive in April involving staff, at its 115 home Hamilton Wharf development near Port Sunlight in Wirral.

The charity was chosen by staff at the site.

Mental health problems among construction workers was among motivating factors for Parr to raise money for Open Door.

“Mental health and wellbeing is something that affects every one of us – whether we are facing our own challenges or become aware of someone else struggling, the need for accessible, ongoing support cannot be underestimated, he said.

“In the UK construction sector, mental health remains at crisis level for workers, with recent figures from the Chartered Institute of Building suggesting up to 28% have experienced suicidal thoughts, as well as high rates of stress, anxiety, depression and fatigue – so this is something very close to my heart.

He added: “The team agreed we wanted to do something for the local community and to support a critically important cause.

“Open Door is a brilliant charity, that provides free, fast and effective mental health support without waiting lists to young people and adults so it was the perfect choice and opportunity to raise awareness and funds for their work.”

Open Door is based in Birkenhead and offers a range of programmes to support those facing mental health challenges.

The charity’s fundraising manager Imogen Healing said: “ We are so grateful for the support of James with this incredible challenge, and the whole Lovell team for their ongoing efforts in raising funds and awareness for Open Door Charity.

“We rely on the kind support of fundraisers like this one run by James and Lovell to ensure our programmes can remain free to access for our members, and to allow us to reach even more young people in the future.”

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